Method for managing and selectively arranging sets of multiple documents and pages within documents

ABSTRACT

A method of computerized presentation of a plurality documents is disclosed. There is at least one original document with at least one original document page, and an addendum document with at least one addendum document page. A first selection of the at least one original document is received. There is a page sequencing array defined by an arrangement of each original document. A second selection of the addendum document is received. Each of the at least one addendum document page is correlated to an original document page. A document set is generated using the first selection and the second selection. For each addendum document in the document set, a priority identifier is determined. A document set view is generated from the document set with the original document pages and the addendum document pages, and is defined by an ordered page selection according to the page sequencing array.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to document management, andmore particularly to a method for managing and selectively arrangingsets of multiple documents and pages within documents.

2. Related Art

The creation, distribution, and management of information are corefunctions of business. Information or content can be presented in avariety of different ways, including word processing documents,spreadsheets, graphics, photographs, engineering drawings, architecturalplans, and so forth. In electronic form, these are generally referred toas documents, and may be generated and manipulated by computer softwareapplications that are specific thereto. A typical workflow in theenterprise involves various personnel, oftentimes across disparategeographic locations, collaborating to create, review, and/or edit suchdocuments.

Due to the existence of many different computing platforms having a widevariety of operating systems, application programs, and processing andgraphic display capabilities, it has been recognized by those in the artthat a device-independent, resolution-independent file format wasnecessary to facilitate such exchange. In response to this need, thePortable Document Format (PDF), amongst other competing formats, hasbeen developed.

The PDF standard is a combination of a number of technologies, includinga simplified PostScript interpreter subsystem, a font embeddingsubsystem, and a storage subsystem. As those in the art will recognize,PostScript is a page description language for generating the layout andthe graphics of a document. Further, per the requirements of the PDFstorage subsystem, all elements of the document, including text, vectorgraphics, and raster (bitmap) graphics, collectively referred to hereinas graphic elements, are encapsulated into a single file. The graphicelements are not encoded to a specific operating system, softwareapplication, or hardware, but are designed to be rendered in the samemanner regardless of the specificities relating to the system writing orreading such data. The cross-platform capability of PDF aided in itswidespread adoption, and is now a de facto document exchange standard.Although originally proprietary, PDF has been released as an openstandard published by the International Organization for Standardization(ISO) as ISO/IEC 3200-1:2008. Currently, PDF is utilized to encode awide variety of document types, including those composed largely oftext, and those composed largely of vector and raster graphics. Becauseof its versatility and universality, files in the PDF format are oftenpreferred over more particularized file formats of specificapplications.

Depending on workflow conventions that may be particular to a singlebusiness, or common amongst similar businesses or across an industry,document management can vary in complexity. The most basic practice isto store a single document in a single file on a hierarchical filesystem that is organized according to directories and subdirectories.This may be suitable for simple projects where there is a singledocument of minimal length, or where there are multiple documents, eachare largely independent of the others and do not require concurrentreview and/or revision. Some sharing may be possible to the extent thefile system is connected to a network, such that different users areable to access the files from local or remote computers also connectedto the network. In order to avoid applying conflicting changes,individual files are typically locked upon being opened, allowing accessto only one user while all others are restricted.

Although there are collaboration systems known in the art that allow forthe concurrent editing of documents by multiple users, these aretypically separate applications layered over the file system. Inavoiding these proprietary systems, one practice for managing a largedocument involving many collaborators is the segregation into multiplefiles (PDF or otherwise) according to groups of collaborators. Forexample, one section of the document may be particular to one businessunit, while another section of the document may be particular to anotherbusiness unit. So long as the two sections and corresponding responsiblebusiness units are independent of each other, concurrent revisions arepossible. In business fields such as engineering and architecture,multiple drawings for different aspects of the component or structuremay be produced as part of a single project, and each drawing may bestored in a separate file. Furthermore, addendums that supersede earlierversions of documents or drawings may be stored together with the olderversions. In each of the aforementioned cases, combining the files intoa single one is deficient for a number of different reasons, includingincreased complexity, page count, and file size, the aforementioned filelocking issue, and so forth. Some of the individual documents may besecured and flagged with attributes that explicitly prohibit suchaggregation.

Nevertheless, it is desirable in some cases to view the entirecollection of files making up the single document or multiple documentsin a project all at once as a cohesive whole. Existing solutions requirethat all of the pertinent files be opened concurrently in order for thedocument to be viewed and navigated as a whole, largely negating theadvantages of maintaining separate files for each document page ordocument segment. Furthermore, tracking each of the addendums andpresenting the most recent version along with the remainder of thedocument or documents is not possible unless the files are particularlynamed with proper revision numbers and the older files are designated asoutdated. This process is prone to error because the modifications mustbe made manually, and in some cases, security attributes may be set thatprohibit such modifications and references to and from new/old versions.The ordering of the document and of the individual pages therein islimited to that structure set forth in the document itself, and istherefore inflexible.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method for managing andselectively arranging sets of multiple documents and pages withindocuments. There is also a need in the art for such arranged sets to beof PDF documents.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure contemplates a method of computerizedpresentation of a plurality documents, and the sorting and displaying ofmultiple pages of multiple documents in a single view, in particular.These documents may include at least one original document and anaddendum document, and the identification of addendums and previousrevisions is automated. The at least one original document may have atleast one original document page, and the addendum document may have atleast one addendum document page. An ordered view of pages in acollection of documents may be possible, as well as a clearidentification of updated document revisions. The method may begin withreceiving on a computer a first selection of the at least one originaldocument. Each original document page may include a corresponding uniquepage identifier. Additionally, a page sequencing array may be defined byan arrangement of each original document.

The method may continue with receiving on the computer a secondselection of the addendum document. Each of the at least one addendumdocument page may be respectively correlated to an original documentpage of the at least one original document. Furthermore, each addendumdocument page may include a corresponding unique page identifier.

There may also be a step of generating a document set using the firstselection of the at least one original document and the second selectionof the addendum document. For each addendum document in the documentset, there may also be a step of determining a priority identifier ofeach addendum document page.

The method may further include generating a document set view from thedocument set. The document set view may be defined by an ordered pageselection according to the page sequencing array. Additionally, thedocument set view may be generated from the original document pages andthe addendum document pages based upon the unique page identifiers andthe priority identifiers.

Another embodiment envisions the foregoing method being implemented as aseries of steps executable by a data processing apparatus and embodiedin non-transitory program storage medium. The presently contemplatedembodiments will be best understood by reference to the followingdetailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary computer system that may be capable to performfunctions for use with aspects of the present invention including adisplay monitor;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of system components of the exemplary computersystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary user interface of a document reviewing softwareapplication that implements various aspects of the contemplated methodfor the presentation of a plurality of documents;

FIG. 4A illustrates one example document arrangement in which there is asingle original document with multiple original document pages and asingle addendum document with one addendum page;

FIG. 4B illustrates another example document arrangement in which thereare two original documents each with multiple original document pages;

FIG. 4C illustrates yet another example document arrangement in whichthere are three original documents each with a single original documentpage;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting various steps of a method ofcomputerized presentation of a plurality of documents;

FIG. 6 is a document set definition dialog window through which a firstselection of original documents and a second selection of addendumdocuments may be made;

FIG. 7 is an option dialog window through which an addendum filter maybe specified;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary data structure of a document set basedupon the arrangement of the documents shown in FIG. 4A; and

FIGS. 9A-9F illustrate example use cases of variously arranged originaldocuments and addendum documents in accordance with the embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and thedetailed description to indicate the same elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of the presently preferredembodiment of a method of computerized presentation of a plurality ofdocuments including at least one original document and an addendumdocument. It is not intended to represent the only form in which thepresent method may be developed or utilized. The description sets forththe functions and the sequence of steps for developing and operating theinvention in connection with the illustrated embodiment. It is to beunderstood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequencesmay be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended tobe encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. It isfurther understood that the use of relational terms such as first,second, and the like are used solely to distinguish one from anotherentity without necessarily requiring or implying any actual suchrelationship or order between such entities.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary hardware environment in which variousaspects of the contemplated method of document management andarrangement may be implemented. Generally, there is a computer system 10with a system unit 12 and a display device 14. The display device 14produced a graphical output from the data processing operationsperformed by the system unit 12. Input devices including a keyboard 16and a mouse 18, for example, may be manipulated by a user to generatecorresponding inputs to the data processing operations, and areconnected to the system unit 12 via ports 20. Various other input andoutput devices may be connected to the system unit 12, and differentinterconnection modalities are known in the art.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the system unit 12 includes aprocessor (CPU) 22, which may be any conventional type. A system memory(RAM) 24 temporarily stores results of the data processing operationsperformed by the CPU 22, and is interconnected thereto typically via adedicated memory channel 26. The system unit 12 may also includepermanent storage devices such as a hard drive 28, which is also incommunication with the CPU 22 over an input/output (I/O) bus 30. Adedicated graphics module 32 may also connected to the CPU 22 via avideo bus 34, and transmits signals representative of display data tothe display device 14. As indicated above, the keyboard 16 and the mouse18 are connected to the system unit 12 over the port 20. In theembodiments where the port 20 is a USB type, there may be a USBcontroller 35 that translates data and instructions to and from the CPU22 for the external peripherals connected via the port 20. Additionaldevices such as printers, microphones, speakers, and the like may beconnected to the system unit 12 thereby.

The system unit 12 may utilize any operating system having a graphicaluser interface (GUI), such as WINDOWS from Microsoft Corporation ofRedmond, Wash., MAC OS from Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., variousversions of UNIX with the X-Windows windowing system, and so forth. Thesystem unit 12 executes one or more computer programs, with the resultsthereof being displayed on the display device 14. Generally, theoperating system and the computer programs are tangibly embodied in acomputer-readable medium, e.g., the hard drive 28. Both the operatingsystem and the computer programs may be loaded from the aforementioneddata storage devices into the RAM 24 for execution by the CPU 22. Thecomputer programs may comprise instructions, which, when read andexecuted by the CPU 22, cause the same to perform or execute the stepsor features of the various embodiments set forth in the presentdisclosure.

According to one embodiment, a user can interact with the computersystem 10, and specifically with the graphics being generated on thedisplay device 14, via the mouse 18. The movement of a cursor generatedon the display device 14 is tied to the movement of the mouse 18, withfurther interactivity being provided with input from the mouse buttons.Input from the keyboard 16 also provides interactivity with the computersystem 10.

Although certain features of the present disclosure are described inrelation to a computer system with such input and output capabilities,specifics thereof are presented by way of example only and not oflimitation. Any alternative graphical user interfaces such as touchinterfaces and pen/digitizer interfaces may be substituted. The analogsof those features will be readily appreciated, along with suitablemodifications to accommodate these alternative interfaces while stillachieving the same functionalities.

Along these lines, the foregoing computer system 10 represents only oneexemplary apparatus of many otherwise suitable for implementing aspectsof the present disclosure, and only the most basic of the componentsthereof have been described. It is to be understood that the computersystem 10 may include additional components not described herein, andmay have different configurations and architectures. Any suchalternative is deemed to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure involves the sorting and displaying of multiplepages across multiple documents in a single view is contemplated. Asutilized herein, the term document refers to standalone representationof data that can be opened, rendered and/or edited by such documentreviewing software application. Accordingly, the document may beformatted and structured in a particular way so that its elements can berendered consistently. In the exemplary embodiment discussed herein, thedocument reviewing software application handles PDF documents, and thefollowing description will be in reference thereto. Documents in anyother format that are editable or viewable with any other softwareapplication may be substituted.

Typically, a single document is stored in a single file on ahierarchical file system of the hard drive 28 or any other accessiblestorage device. In the context of the present disclosure, it is possiblefor a single document to be stored across multiple files. Thus,reference to a file is not necessarily interchangeable with a document.Although storage of documents on the file system would be the simplestsince such feature exists by default in almost any computer operatingsystem, it is also possible to implement various aspects of the presentdisclosure within a comprehensive document management system applicationthat is layered above the operating system/file system.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary graphical user interface 36 of a documentediting software application in which various embodiments of the methodof computerized searching may be implemented. The software applicationruns on a windowing system, and accordingly has a number of interfaceelements that are common to applications for the same. The functional,interactive features of the graphical user interface 36 are containedwithin a main window 38 that includes a title bar 40 with basic windowcontrols 42 that variously minimize, maximize, and close the main window38. In addition, the main window 38 includes a menu bar 44, from whichvarious functions of the document reviewing software application may beinvoked via activated pull-down menus. So that commonly utilizedfunctions such as opening files, saving changes to the currently openedfile, and so forth are readily accessible, there is also a tool bar 46.Within the main window 38 is a workspace window 48, which includes asub-title bar 50 and the basic window controls 42. One or more of theaforementioned documents are rendered within the workspace window 48.

In order to aid in the navigation of documents and multiple pagesthereof, there is a thumbnail sidebar 54 that includes an orderedarrangement 56 of thumbnails 58 that are reduced resolutionrepresentations of the content of each page. Thus, each thumbnail isunderstood to correspond to a single page. In the illustrated example,the part or page of what is shown in the workspace window 48 is limited,but the zoom level may be altered to show more or less of it. Each ofthe pages is understood to be accessible by scrolling through theworkspace window 48, but with the thumbnail sidebar 54, it is possibleto quickly access and jump to individual pages without such cumbersomescrolling. Conventionally, the thumbnail sidebar 54 shows arepresentation of a single document. However, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure, it may be used to show arepresentation of more than one document, arranged according to certainpredefined criteria. This arrangement, in turn, may be reflected in theview of such documents in the workspace window 48.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate a method ofcomputerized presentation of a plurality of documents including at leastone original document and an addendum document. One example of theplurality of documents is illustrated in FIG. 4A, in which there is anoriginal document 60 with a first original page 62 a, a second originalpage 62 b, a third original page 62 c, and a fourth original page 62 d.These pages may be designed with a corresponding unique identifier. Ofcourse, these four original pages 62 are presented by way of exampleonly, and there may fewer pages or more pages. This is the typicalorganization of simple multi-page documents such as brochures in whicheach of the pages are in a single file, and so there is a single filename 61.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4B, there may be a first originaldocument 64 with a first original page 66 a and a second original page66 b, as well as a second original document 68 with its own firstoriginal page 70 a and second original page 70 b. The first originaldocument 64 is identified by a first file name 65, and the secondoriginal document 68 is identified by a second file name 69. Thisarrangement may be utilized for more complex multi-page documents thatcan be conveniently segregated into multiple sections such as books,magazines, catalogs, and the like. In this case, the first originaldocument 64 may be one section, while the second original document 66may be another section.

According to still another alternative shown in FIG. 4C, each page mayconstitute a single document. In this example, there is a first originaldocument 72 with an original page 74, a second original document 76 withan original page 78, and a third original document 80 with an originalpage 82. The first original document 72 is identified by a first filename 73, the second original document 76 is identified by a second filename 77, and the third original document 80 is identified by a thirdfile name 81. This is the more common organization in architectural,engineering, and other technical settings. For example, one document maycontain the base structure of a given area, while another document maycontain the electrical wiring diagrams of the same area. Yet anotherdocument may contain the HVAC diagrams of the same area. Withengineering projects, one document may contain drawings of an entireassembly, with other documents containing detailed views of componentsof the assembly.

According to the presently contemplated method, the entire set ofdocuments in each of the aforementioned examples is uniquely viewable asa coherent whole, arranged in the proper page order. As such,broad-based accessibility to a complete project and its constituentdocuments is possible. In order to facilitate this arrangement, there isa page sequencing array 84 that is logically defined by an arrangementof the original documents. With the example shown in FIG. 4A, there isone original document 60, so the page ordering thereof defines the pagesequencing array 84 a. In relation to the example shown in FIG. 4B,there are two original documents 64, 68, and so the arrangement thereofdefines a page sequencing array 84 b. The example shown in FIG. 4C hasthree separate original documents 72, 76, and 80, and the orderedarrangement thereof defines a page sequencing array 84 c.

In each illustrated example, the page sequencing array 84 is defined bypage position index values 86. As shown in FIG. 4A, there is a firstindex value 86 a corresponding to the position of the first originalpage 62 a, a second index value 86 b corresponding to the position ofthe second original page 62 b, a third index value 86 c corresponding tothe position of the third original page 62 c, and a fourth index value86 d corresponding to the position of the fourth original page 62 d.Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first index value 86 a correspondsto the position of the first original page 66 a of the first originaldocument 64, and the second index value 86 b corresponds to the positionof the second original page 68 b also of the first original document 64.The third index value 86 c corresponds to the position of the firstoriginal page 70 a of the second original document 68, and the fourthindex value 86 d corresponds to the position of the second original page70 b of the second original document 68. Referring now to FIG. 4C thefirst index value 86 a corresponds to the position of the first originalpage 74 of the first original document 72, the second index value 86 bcorresponds to the position of the first original page 78 of the secondoriginal document 76, and the third index value 86 c corresponds to theposition of the first original page 82 of the third original document80. Although a specific data structure of the page sequencing array 84has been shown, it is exemplary only, and the presently disclosed methodmay be implemented with any other suitable data structure.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the plurality of documents also includes anaddendum document 100 with an addendum page 102. The addendum document100, like the original documents 60 described above, is identified witha filename 104, and each addendum page 102 is identified with acorresponding unique page identifier. Even though only a single addendumpage 102 is illustrated, it will be recognized that the addendumdocument 100 may contain any number of additional addendum pages 102.The particular way in which such additional addendum pages 102 arehandled in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosurewill be described more fully below.

With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, and in the context of theexample shown in FIG. 4A, the method of presenting the plurality ofdocuments includes a step 300 of receiving a first selection of the atleast one original document 60. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary documentset definition dialog window 88 through which such first selection maybe made. More particularly, there is a file listing 90 of each of thefiles 92 that are designated to be a part of a subsequently defineddocument set. The file names shown in the listing 90 are by way ofexample only, and do not correspond to any particular original documentmentioned herein. Referring again to the graphical user interface 36shown in FIG. 3, within the main window 38, there may be multipleworkspace windows 48 that show multiple documents. Each such openeddocument may be added to the set via the add open files button 94. Otherfiles may be selected through the conventional file system access dialogbox that is invoked with an add button 96. Furthermore, undesirablefiles 92 can be selected/highlighted within the file listing 90 andremoved from the set by activating a delete button 98.

Generally, the addendum page 102 is understood to be updated or revisedversions of a corresponding original page 62. Although an addendum isunderstood to have particular meaning in certain industries and thedocument processing workflows thereof, it is intended to refer to anysubsequently modified or revised document that supplements, replaces, orotherwise takes priority over any older original document pages. Whenthe plurality of documents is being presented, it is contemplated thatthe visibility of any addendum pages 102 is likewise prioritized. In theillustrated example, the addendum page 102 is designated as areplacement for the second original page 62 b. In some cases, anaddendum may also be a new page that is added to the original document60, and when the documents are presented, it may be appended to the end.

Referring back to the flowchart of FIG. 5, and again in the context ofthe example shown in FIG. 4A, the method for presenting the plurality ofdocuments also includes a step 302 of receiving a second selection ofthe addendum document 100. With reference to FIG. 6, the file listing 90is understood to show the file of the addendum document 100.Accordingly, the second selection may be received on the computer system10 via the document set definition dialog window 88. The same add openfiles button 94, add button 96, and the delete button 98 may beactivated to invoke the same functionality discussed above in relationto the original document 60, that is, adding open addendum documents,adding further addendum documents, and deleting listed addendumdocuments.

Following the selection of the plurality of documents including theoriginal document 60 in step 300 and the addendum document 100 in step302, the method continues with a step 304 of generating a document set104 using such first and second selections. The document set 104 is alogical collection of the aforementioned plurality of documentsincluding the original document 60 and the addendum document 100. Thestep 304 may be executed as a result of activating an OK button 106. Inorder to cancel the generating of the document set 104, a cancel button108 can be activated. The following description of the variousoperations that can be performed in relation to a document set willreference the specific document set 104 shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 8 forthe sake of simplicity. Those having ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the same operations can be performed in relation to morecomplex document sets, and examples thereof will be set forth more fullybelow.

As shown in the simplified representation of FIG. 8, the document set104 may be defined by a reference 63 to the original document 60 and areference 103 to the addendum page 102. The document set 104 is furtherdefined by the page sequencing array 84, which sets forth the order andarrangement of each page in the document set 104. A position for each ofthe original pages 62 is reserved in accordance with the index 86 andits values 86 a-86 d, though it is not necessary for the content of theoriginal pages 62 to be stored. Thus, the structure of the document set104 can be stored in a separate file independent of the originaldocument 60 and the addendum document 100. It will be recognized bythose having ordinary skill in the art, however, that the data structureof the document set 104 may be implemented in a variety of differentways while retaining the same features relative to the functions thatutilize it. Internal to the document set 104, there may be a link 110establishing the original/addendum relationship between the addendumpage 102 and the second original page 62 b, though this is optionalbecause the prioritization of the addendum page 102 can take place atthe time of presentation.

The document set 104 may be defined in terms of file paths, i.e., thereference 63 and the reference 103 store the file path text that can beprocessed by the application to retrieve the referenced files. The filepath can be absolute in which include file directory identifiers down tothe root level, i.e., the “w:” drive are specified as shown in theexample of FIG. 6. Once generated, the document set 104 can be stored onthe local file system or any other accessible file system. This functionmay be invoked via a save button 112. If the document set 104 hasalready been saved, but a different file name therefor is desired, it ispossible to so specify by first activating a save-as button 114, whichis understood to invoke the conventional dialog box for file name entry.If an alternative document set 104 is desired, it make be retrieved byactivating an open button 116, which invokes yet another conventionaldialog box for file selection.

Along these lines, the generated document set 104 may be transferred toother file systems or locations on different computer systems 10 forprocessing and presenting the referenced original document 60 and theaddendum document 100 thereon. Absolute file paths may be adequate whensharing of the document set 104 and its referenced files do not extendbeyond a local network and are stored in a commonly accessible networkedfile system. However, this is not always the case, and it may be usefulto package the document set 104 along with its referenced documents fortransfer to a different system where the networked file system is notaccessible. In this instance, relative file paths may be specified, andthis option is selectable through a check box 110.

As indicated above, the order and arrangement of pages within thedocument set 104 is in accordance with the page sequencing array 84 andthe association of each individual page to the corresponding indexvalues 86 a-d thereof. With an original document 60 that is stored in asingle file, the order of the original pages 62 a-62 d therein isdetermined by that which is defined by the document itself.Implementations of the PDF standard may include page labeling featuresbeyond standard numerical page indices, and so it may be possible toreset the page sequencing array 84 to a sorted order determined by thepage label. It is understood that resetting the page sequencing array 84to a sorted order determined by the page index is also possible.

Where there are multiple files as is the case with the example shown inFIG. 4B, the order and arrangement, as an initial matter, of the firstoriginal document 64 and the second original document 68, may be basedupon the respective file names 65, 69 thereof. As within the document,e.g., between the pages in the first original document 64, theinternally defined order is understood to control, whether it be thepage labels or the page indices. The sorting order may be set via thedocument set definition dialog window 88, and particularly with asort-by pull-down menu 118. Three possible sorting modalities arecontemplated, including by file name followed by page index, by filename followed by page label, and also just by page label. Those havingordinary skill in the art will be able to readily ascertain thesuitability of each of these options for particular document workflows.Further, different sorting functions besides those based on file name,page label, and page index are also possible.

After setting the sorting modality, the type and direction may be setvia a sort type and direction pull-down menu 120. There are two types,including alphanumeric and numeric, as well as two directions, ascendingand descending. These are presented in the sort type and directionpull-down menu 120 four selectable options: alphanumeric ascending,alphanumeric descending, numeric ascending, and numeric descending. Thesorting type and the sorting direction is applied to any selected field,including the aforementioned page label and file name. Alphanumericsorting is understood to involve the processing of each character in thesorted field from left to right. For example, if one field has thecontent “100” while another has the content “20,” and ascending orderhas been specified, the “100” would be positioned before “20” becausethe first character, “1,” precedes “2.” On the other hand, ascendingnumeric sorting processes the number “20” as preceding “100.” It will beappreciated that the foregoing sorting modalities are presented by wayof example only and not of limitation, and any other suitablealternative may be substituted without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The first selection of the original document 60 and the second selectionof the addendum document 100 may be received concurrently upon theplurality of documents being specified via the document set definitiondialog window 88. As such, at the moment of receiving the first andsecond selections, the original document 60 and the addendum document100 may be indeterminate. That is, while the generated document set 104references each of the original document 60 and the addendum document100, which specific reference points to an addendum and which specificreference points to an original document is unknown. To make thisdetermination, an addendum filter is contemplated. In accordance withsome embodiments, the addendum filter processes the file name of each ofthe referenced plurality of documents and/or the page labels of eachpage thereof, though any other searchable field may also be utilized.

Referring again to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the method may continue withdetermining a priority identifier of each addendum page 102 in each ofthe addendum documents 100. Again, although only one addendum document100 with one addendum page 102 is illustrated in the basic example ofFIG. 4A, it is expressly contemplated that there may be more than oneaddendum document, with some or all having more than one addendum page.This step of determining the priority identifier is understood to refergenerally to the identification of pages as addendums, and amongst morethan one addendum for the same page, which one takes priority.

With reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, activating a filter option button122 on the document set definition dialog window 88 invokes a filteroption dialog window 124. A filter string or predicate can be entered ina text entry box 126. The filter string is wildcard based, in which astar character “*” indicates any set of characters, a number sign orpound character “#” indicates a contiguous sequence of numericcharacters only, and a question mark sign “?” represents a contiguoussequence of alphabet characters. Specifying other characters besidesindicates a literal matching thereto. To the extent a filter based onthe wildcard characters of “*” and “#” are needed for literal matching,an escape character, e.g., a backslash “\” can be specified.Furthermore, if additional filter strings are needed, each one can beseparated with a semicolon character “;”. In the example shown in FIG.7, “*A#,” a filter field first starting with any sequence of characters,followed by the character “A”, and followed by a number is identified asan addendum. An explanation 130 of the use of the filter strings isprovided within the filter option dialog window 124. By way of example,the file name “Structure3_A1.pdf” would be identified as an addendum,while “Structure3_C.pdf” would not. Those having ordinary skill in theart will recognize that the file naming and page labeling conventionsare to be standardized. Additionally, the filter string is to beconfigured to identify those documents that have been so marked asaddendums utilizing these standardized labeling conventions. The filterstring is saved upon activating an OK button 106, and any changes theremay be reverted by activating a cancel button 108. Though specificexamples of wildcard characters that correspond to specific sequences ofinputs have been introduced, there are numerous others that could alsobe utilized.

Returning now to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the method continues with astep 308 of generating a document set view from the document set 104.Again, as indicated above, the page sequencing array 84 defines theorder in which the original documents 60, the original pages 62 thereof,the addendum documents 100, and the addendum pages 102 thereof ispresented. This arrangement or sequence may also be referred to as anordered page selection, which defines the document set view.Additionally, the document set view is also generated from the contentsof the plurality of documents, and is understood to be based upon theunique page identifiers thereof that tie it to the index values 86 a-dof the page sequencing array 84, as well as upon the correspondingpriority identifiers.

The document set view can be displayed on the thumbnail sidebar 54 whereit may be the most useful to navigate different versions of addendumsand different original documents. The way in which the respective pagesare visualized may be customized according to preferences set throughthe filter option dialog window 124 shown in FIG. 7. In particular, thetreatment of previous revisions may be selected from several differentoptions through a previous revisions display options pull-down menu 128.Presently there are two contemplated options including cross-out, whichgenerates a pair of diagonally intersecting lines overlaid on thedocument page in a manner that indicates its deprecated status, as wellas gray-out, which modifies the brightness of the document page also ina manner that indicates its deprecated status. In this regard, both ofthese actions may be referred to as deprecation indicators, and it iswithin the purview of those having ordinary skill in the art to developalternatives that serve as such. An alternative option in which nodeprecation indicators are added is also selectable via the revisionsdisplay options pull-down menu 128.

The visual treatment of the prioritized addendum page 102 may also bevaried. The filter option dialog window 124 also includes an addendumoption pull-down menu 132. One of the selectable options is thehighlighting of a border 132 of the thumbnail 58 in the thumbnailsidebar 54 or other representation of the addendum page 102. Anotheroption is to “stack” the original page 62 and any intervening addendumpage 102 below the prioritized page. Those document pages notprioritized may be hidden from view, though it is possible toincorporate a pair of scroll buttons 136 to allow the navigation amongstprevious versions 138. In such case, any set option in the revisionsdisplay options pull-down menu is disabled. Again, another possibleoption is for there to be no further visual treatment of the prioritizedaddendum page 102. The display of the thumbnails 58 may be supplementedwith additional filename information, page numbers, and labels.

FIGS. 9A-9F show different uses cases and how various arrangements oforiginal documents 60 and addendum documents 100 would be processed inaccordance with the presently contemplated methods. To illustrate thesesequences, certain features such as file names, page sequencing arrays,and the like already discussed above have been omitted, and only theminimum level of detail needed for a discussion of these use cases havebeen included.

FIG. 9A in particular depicts a scenario where there is one originaldocument 60 with four original pages 62 a, 62 b, 62 c, and 62 d.Additionally, the document set 104 a has two addendum documents 100,including a first addendum document 100 a and a second addendum document100 b. The first addendum document 100 a has an addendum page 102 a, andthe second addendum document 100 b similarly has an addendum page 102 b.Both the addendum page 102 a and the addendum page 102 b are tosupplement the second original page 62 b, but since the second addendumdocument 100 b is a more updated version, it takes priority over thefirst addendum document 100 b and its addendum page 102 a. In the viewof the document set 104 a, the sequence order is thus the first originalpage 62 a, the addendum page 102 b, the third original page 62 c, andthe fourth original page 62 d, though depending on the options set viathe filter option dialog window 124, the original page 62 b and theaddendum page 102 a remain accessible upon navigation thereto.

FIG. 9B illustrates a similar usage case as that described in relationto FIG. 9A above, where there is one original document 60 with originalpages 62 a-62 d, and at least the first addendum document 100 a with anaddendum page 102 a. As previously indicated, the addendum page 102 asupplements the second original page 62 b. Additionally, there is asecond addendum document 100 b also with a single addendum page 102 b,which supplements a third original page 62 c. In the set view of thedocument set 104 b, the sequence order is thus the first original page62 a, the addendum page 102 a, the addendum page 102 b, and the fourthoriginal page 62 d.

FIG. 9C shows a usage case in which one addendum document 100 includestwo addendum pages 102 a and 102 b, each of which supplements adifferent original page. Again, there is one original document 60 withoriginal pages 62 a-62 d. The first of the two addendum pages 102 asupplements the second original page 62 b, while the second one 102 bsupplements the third original page 62 c. In this case, additionalprocessing of multiple pages within one addendum document 100 is shown,where the sorting is by page label or by page index. The sequence orderin the view of the document set 104 c is the first original page 62 a,the addendum page 102 a, the addendum page 102 b, and the fourthoriginal page 62 d.

FIG. 9D depicts multiple addendum documents 100 a, 100 b, though thereis just one original document 60 again with original pages 62 a-62 d.The first addendum document 100 a has an addendum page 102 asupplementing the second original page 62 b, as well as an addendum page102 b supplementing the fourth original page 62 d. The second addendumdocument 100 b has one addendum page 102 c supplementing the thirdoriginal page 62 c. This case illustrates that addendum pages 102 neednot be designated to supplement contiguous original pages 62 by use ofpage labels. That is, the second original page 62 b may have a pagelabel corresponding to that of the addendum page 102 a, while the fourthoriginal page 62 d may have a page label corresponding to that of theaddendum page 102 b and be correlated and arranged together on thatbasis alone, regardless of the page indices. The addendum page 102 c ofthe second addendum document 100 b otherwise supplements the originalpage 62 c in a manner similar to that discussed above. The sequenceorder in the view of the document set 104 d is the first original page62 a, the addendum page 102 a, the addendum page 102 c, and the addendumpage 102 b. Were the first addendum document 100 a to include anotheraddendum page to supplement the third original page 62 c, a prioritydetermination would be made between the addendum page 102 c of thesecond addendum document 100 b in the manner discussed above withreference to FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9E depicts a case where the addendum document 100, and hence theaddendum page 102, does not supplement any existing original pages 62 ofthe one original document 60. The sequence order in the view of thedocument set 104 e is the first original page 62 a, the second originalpage 62 b, the third original page 62 c, the fourth original page 62 d,and then the addendum page 102.

FIG. 9F shows a situation where there are multiple original documents 60including a first original document 60 a and a second original document60 b, as well as multiple addendum documents 100 including a firstaddendum document 100 a and a second addendum document 100 b. The firstoriginal document 60 a includes multiple pages 62-1, including a firstoriginal page 62-1 a, a second original page 62-1 b, a third originalpage 62-1 c, and a fourth original page 62-1 d. The first addendumdocument 100 a has one addendum page 102 a that supplements the secondoriginal page 62-1 b. Furthermore, there is a second original document60 b also with multiple pages including a first original page 62-2 a anda second original page 62-2 b. The second addendum document 100 b hasone addendum page 102 b that supplements the first original page 62-2 a.

This example illustrates the ordering and arrangement of the firstoriginal document 60 a and the second original document 60 b, and inparticular, the respective original pages 62-1 a through 62-1 d and 62-2a through 62-2 b. It also illustrates that the addendum documents 100can supplement any of the pages of any original document 60 a, 60 b. Inthe view of the document set 104 f, the sequence order is therefore thefirst original page 62-1 a, the addendum page 102 a, the third originalpage 62-1 c, the fourth original page 62-1 d, the addendum page 102 b,and the second original page 62-2 b of the second original document 60b.

The foregoing examples shown in FIGS. 9A-9F are intended to illustratesome of the organizational and arrangement features of the presentlycontemplated method for presenting a plurality of documents in whichthere are original documents addendum documents. These examples are notintended to be limiting, and it is understood that the method can yieldother results based on different starting conditions that have not beendiscussed herein.

The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes ofillustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present disclosureonly and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to bethe most useful and readily understood description of the principles andconceptual aspects of the disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is madeto show more details than is necessary for a fundamental understandingof the disclosure, the description taken with the drawings makingapparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of thepresently disclosed methods may be embodied in practice.

1-28. (canceled)
 29. A computer-implemented method of computerizedpresentation of a plurality of documents including at least one originaldocument having a plurality of original document pages and at least oneaddendum document having at least one addendum document page, the methodcomprising: receiving a first selection of the at least one originaldocument, each of the plurality of original document pages including anoriginal page label, wherein a page sequencing data element defines apage ordering of the plurality of original document pages based on theoriginal page labels; receiving a second selection of the at least oneaddendum document, each addendum document page of the at least oneaddendum document being associated with an original document page of theat least one original document based on an addendum page label of theeach addendum document page corresponding to the original page label ofthe associated original document page, wherein the each addendumdocument page of the at least one addendum document is a revised versionof the associated original document page; generating a document set viewcomprising the plurality of original document pages of the originaldocument and the at least one addendum document page of the at least oneaddendum document based on the page sequencing data element; anddisplaying the document set view via a graphical user interface (GUI).30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first and second selections aremade through a document set definition dialog window including a filelisting.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the file listing includesfiles that are sorted by at least one of: file name and page index; filename and page label; and page label.
 32. The method of claim 29,wherein, if a plurality of addendum document pages of the first addendumdocument are associated with an original document page of the originaldocument, an addendum document page of the plurality of addendumdocument pages is visually prioritized over another addendum documentpage of the plurality of addendum document pages based on a priorityidentifier assigned to the each addendum document page of the pluralityof addendum document pages.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein theoriginal document page, to which the plurality of addendum documentspages are associated, is hidden from view.
 34. The method of claim 32,wherein the original document page, to which the plurality of addendumdocuments pages are associated, is displayed with a deprecationindicator.
 35. The method of claim 29, wherein each of the plurality oforiginal document pages further includes a page index, wherein the pagesequencing data element comprises an array defining a page ordering ofthe plurality of original document pages based on the page indices. 36.The method of claim 29, wherein the displaying the document set viewcomprises: for each original document page of the plurality of originaldocument pages that is associated with one or more addendum documentpages, displaying at least one of the one or more addendum documentpages over the associated original document page.
 37. The method ofclaim 36, wherein the associated original document is partially obscuredby the displayed at least one of the one or more addendum documentpages.
 38. The method of claim 36, wherein at least another one of theone or more addendum document pages is partially obscured by thedisplayed at least one of the one or more addendum document pages. 39.The method of claim 36, wherein the one or more addendum document pagesand the associated original document page are navigable by a userinteracting with the one or more addendum document pages and theassociated original document page via the GUI.
 40. The method of claim36, wherein the one or more addendum document pages and the associatedoriginal document page are arranged in a scrollable stack configuration,with at least a portion of each of the one or more addendum documentpages and the associated original document page being visible.
 41. Asystem for computerized presentation of a plurality of documentscomprising: at least one processor; and at least one storage storinginstructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe at least one processor to perform operations for computerizedpresentation of a plurality of documents including at least one originaldocument having a plurality of original document pages and at least oneaddendum document having at least one addendum document page, theoperations comprising: receiving a first selection of the at least oneoriginal document, each of the plurality of original document pagesincluding an original page label, wherein a page sequencing data elementdefines a page ordering of the plurality of original document pagesbased on the original page labels; receiving a second selection of theat least one addendum document, each addendum document page of the atleast one addendum document being associated with an original documentpage of the at least one original document based on an addendum pagelabel of the each addendum document page corresponding to the originalpage label of the associated original document page, wherein the eachaddendum document page of the at least one addendum document is arevised version of the associated original document page; generating adocument set view comprising the plurality of original document pages ofthe original document and the at least one addendum document page of theat least one addendum document based on the page sequencing dataelement; and displaying the document set view via a graphical userinterface (GUI).
 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the displaying thedocument set view comprises: for each original document page of theplurality of original document pages that is associated with one or moreaddendum document pages, displaying at least one of the one or moreaddendum document pages over the associated original document page. 43.The system of claim 42, wherein the associated original document ispartially obscured by the displayed at least one of the one or moreaddendum document pages.
 44. The system of claim 42, wherein at leastanother one of the one or more addendum document pages is partiallyobscured by the displayed at least one of the one or more addendumdocument pages.
 45. The system of claim 42, wherein the one or moreaddendum document pages and the associated original document page arenavigable by a user interacting with the one or more addendum documentpages and the associated original document page via the GUI.
 46. Thesystem of claim 42, wherein the one or more addendum document pages andthe associated original document page are arranged in a scrollable stackconfiguration, with at least a portion of each of the one or moreaddendum document pages and the associated original document page beingvisible.
 47. The system of claim 41, wherein, if a plurality of addendumdocument pages of the first addendum document are associated with anoriginal document page of the original document, an addendum documentpage of the plurality of addendum document pages is visually prioritizedover another addendum document page of the plurality of addendumdocument pages based on a priority identifier assigned to the eachaddendum document page of the plurality of addendum document pages. 48.At least one non-transitory computer readable medium storinginstructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause theat least one processor to perform operations for computerizedpresentation of a plurality of documents including at least one originaldocument having a plurality of original document pages and at least oneaddendum document having at least one addendum document page, theoperations comprising: receiving a first selection of the at least oneoriginal document, each of the plurality of original document pagesincluding an original page label, wherein a page sequencing data elementdefines a page ordering of the plurality of original document pagesbased on the original page labels; receiving a second selection of theat least one addendum document, each addendum document page of the atleast one addendum document being associated with an original documentpage of the at least one original document based on an addendum pagelabel of the each addendum document page corresponding to the originalpage label of the associated original document page, wherein the eachaddendum document page of the at least one addendum document is arevised version of the associated original document page; generating adocument set view comprising the plurality of original document pages ofthe original document and the at least one addendum document page of theat least one addendum document based on the page sequencing dataelement; and displaying the document set view via a graphical userinterface (GUI).